Method and apparatus for dynamically managing user profiles and status change information

ABSTRACT

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, receiving status change information from a first communication device of a first user over a network; adjusting a user profile of a second user responsive to the status change information; and providing the status change information to a group of second communication devices of the second user to cause the group of second communication devices to adjust operational parameters according to the status change information. Other embodiments are disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/253,469, filed Aug. 31, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 14/320,749, filed Jul. 1, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No.9,462,441. All sections of the aforementioned application(s) andpatent(s) are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The subject disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for dynamicallymanaging user profiles and status change information.

BACKGROUND

The communication demands of users are constantly changing. Devices andapplications for those devices are changed in an attempt to accommodatethe users. However, given the broad range of services and the rapid rateat which technology is advancing, it is often difficult for devicemanufacturers and software developers to keep pace.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIGS. 1-3 depict illustrative embodiments of systems for dynamicallymanaging user profiles and status change information for a group ofdevices of a user;

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method used in portionsof the systems described in FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 5 depict illustrative embodiments of communication systems thatprovide media services and dynamic management of user profiles;

FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication device; and

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of acomputer system within which a set of instructions, when executed, maycause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods describedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject disclosure describes, among other things, illustrativeembodiments for dynamically managing and/or updating user profiles andstatus change information. In one or more embodiments, a dynamic CentralNetwork Repository (CNR) profile system is provided that enables the CNRto automatically detect, follow and/or update a current status of a userwithout user intervention. Other embodiments are described in thesubject disclosure.

The exemplary systems and methods can adjust the status of a user in aCNR, automatically push features associated with the status change andapplications associated with the status change to devices of the user,and/or automatically push or otherwise adjust the user's preferredsettings to the user's device(s). The exemplary systems and methods canalso utilize third party devices for determining status changeinformation associated with a user and/or analyze status changeinformation to determine the accuracy of a determination of a statuschange. The exemplary embodiments can be used with various communicationsystems, including a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network.

In one or more embodiments, various user devices (e.g., mobile smartdevices, desktop computers, set top boxes, Internet Protocol (IP)enabled security system, air-conditioning systems, iGlasses, iWatches,IP enabled appliances, IP enabled medical devices, and other IP enableddevices) can be connected to certain services registered in theirperspective profile in the CNR. The systems and methods provide dynamicand/or automatic interaction between these different services anddifferent devices without requiring a user's interaction.

The type of interaction can vary such as changes to a certain parameterin the user profile triggered by a sensor in a user's connected device(e.g., Global Positioning System (GPS) in the phone indicating theuser's new location such as different City) or adding a new ability tothe user's profile by his or her interaction with newly purchased deviceand/or services. These status changes can be registered or otherwiseindicated in the user's profile stored in the CNR and can be propagatedto all related services for the user, as well as pushed down to all userdevices associated with the services without any user intervention. Theuser devices can be devices that are registered to a particular user(e.g., a subscriber of the device), as well as devices that the userinteracts with such as a set top box where the user is a family memberthat routinely utilizes the set top box (even though the set top box maybe registered to another family member).

One embodiment of the subject disclosure is a method that includesreceiving, by a system including a processor, status change informationfrom a first communication device of a first user over a network, wherethe status change information is determined by the first communicationdevice, where the status change information is associated with a seconduser, and where the first communication device is not associated withthe second user. The method can include adjusting, by the system, a userprofile of the second user responsive to the status change information,where the user profile is stored in a memory accessible to the system.The method can include providing, by the system, the status changeinformation to a group of second communication devices correspondingwith the second user to cause the group of second communication devicesto adjust operational parameters according to the status changeinformation, where the adjusting of the user profile of the second userand the providing of the status change information to the group ofsecond communication devices is performed without user intervention bythe second user.

One embodiment of the subject disclosure includes a first communicationdevice having a processor and a memory that stores executableinstructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitateperformance of operations including detecting a second communicationdevice of a second user in proximity to the first communication device.The operations include determining status change information based onthe detecting of the second communication device and based on a type offirst communication service being provided by the first communicationdevice at a time of the detecting of the second communication device.The operations include providing the status change information over anetwork to a server, where the status change information is associatedwith the second user, where the first communication device is notassociated with the second user. The providing of the status changeinformation to the server causes the server to adjust a user profile ofthe second user according to the status information and causes theserver to provide the status change information to a group of secondcommunication devices of the second user to enable adjusting operationalparameters according to the status change information. The adjusting ofthe user profile of the second user and the providing of the statuschange information to the group of second communication devices isperformed without user intervention by the second user.

One embodiment of the subject disclosure includes a machine-readablestorage medium, including executable instructions that, when executed bya processor of a second communication device, facilitate performance ofoperations. The operations include providing communication signals thatenable a first communication device to detect the second communicationdevice in proximity to the first communication device, where a detectionof the second communication device in proximity to the firstcommunication device causes the first communication device to determinestatus change information for a second user of the second communicationdevice, and where a determination of the status change informationcauses the first communication device to provide the status changeinformation to a server for adjusting a user profile of the second useraccording to the status information and for providing the status changeinformation to a group of second communication devices of the seconduser to enable adjusting operational parameters according to the statuschange information. The operations include providing verificationinformation to the server without user intervention by the second user,where the providing of the verification information causes the server todetermine an accuracy of the status change information associated withthe second user that was determined by the first communication device.The adjusting of the user profile of the second user and the providingof the status change information to the group of second communicationdevices is performed responsive to a determination by the server thatthe status change information associated with the second user isaccurate.

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a system 100 that enablesdynamic management of user profiles and status change information. Thesystem can include a CNR 130 that stores or otherwise has access to userprofiles 110. In this example, sub-profiles one, two and three areillustrated for a single user profile 110 of a user. The CNR 130 canstore or otherwise have access to any number of user profiles and/or anynumber of sub-profiles for any number of users. The exemplaryembodiments can also create or otherwise store a profile for more thanone user, such as a residence profile, a family profile, a friendsprofile, a work profile, a travel profile, a vacation profile and soforth, where the profiles are associated with more than one user. Thesub-profiles can be associated with different personas of the user. Forinstance, the sub profiles can be individually indexed to a workpersona, a home persona, a vacation persona, a business travel persona,and so forth.

System 100 enables communication of status change information from enduser device(s), such as mobile smart phone device 105A, to the CNR 130so that the profile 110 can be adjusted and the status changeinformation (or a portion thereof) and/or the profile adjustment can bedelivered to other devices 105B of the user. The example illustrates amobile smart phone device 105A, however, the exemplary embodiments canbe various types of user devices including mobile smart phones, laptopcomputers, desktop computers, set top boxes, residential gateways,Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), smart appliances, security systems,medical devices, and other devices of the user that have communicationcapabilities.

Various network elements (not shown) can be utilized to facilitate thecommunications, including routers, switches, digital subscriber lineaccess multiplexers (DSLAMs), service area interfaces, fiber opticallinks, copper twisted pairs, and so forth. The communication of thestatus change information from the mobile device 105A to the CNR 130 canbe via a wireless link and/or a wired link. The particular accesstechnologies utilized for communicating the status change informationcan vary.

In this example, the status change information is associated with alocation of the user, such as a change of location (e.g., from one cityto another city) or the particular location (e.g., a library). Forinstance, the status change information determined by device 105A isthat the user has entered the location of Atlanta. This status changeinformation can be communicated from device 105A to the CNR 130 withoutuser intervention. The CNR can update the profile 110 (e.g., a workprofile, a travel profile, and/or a shopping profile) of the user whichcan be associated with various device capabilities and services. Thelocation change into Atlanta and/or the profile updates (includingchanges to available device capabilities and device services) can becommunicated to the user's other devices 105B. As an example, thelocation change can be to a restaurant in Atlanta that has free WiFiaccess. This location status change information can result in one ormore of the devices 105B of the user establishing connections via thefree WiFi access because the devices 105B have been made aware of thenewly available service via the CNR updating of the profile 110 anddistribution of the information to the devices 105B. The illustration ofFIG. 1 depicts devices 105B as being mobile devices, however in thisexample, the devices 105B can be a laptop computer, a PDA, iGlasses,iWatch, a medical device, a vehicle communication system and otherdevices of the user that have communication capabilities. Additionallythe devices 105B of the user can be located at various locations whichmay or may not be in proximity to the user. For instance continuing withthis example, the location change information to the restaurant inAtlanta can result in a security system of the user 105B changingsecurity settings applicable to when the user is away from the home orcan result in a shopping service being enabled for particular shops inthe vicinity of the restaurant in Atlanta.

System 100 can engage smart devices of a user (e.g., a mobile smartphone, a smart watch, smart glasses, and so forth) to act as an agent orbroker to communicate with the CNR 130 in order to update the change ofstatus for the user (e.g., a location change, an activity change, apreference change and so forth). The devices 105A and/or 105B can bedevices that are registered to the user or other devices that areassociated with the user, such as devices that the user utilizes (e.g.,a work computer or a family set top box). In one embodiment, appropriateparameters and flags can be included within applications and/or thesmart devices to facilitate and enable dynamic updating of statuschanges which can result in an update or adjustment to the capability ofthe applications and/or devices 105B of the user. In one embodiment,communication between the smart devices and the CNR 130 allow the CNR tobe aware of the status change of the user and to push the appropriateparameter(s) to the applications and smart devices 105B to enable theupdate or adjustment of the device capabilities. In another embodiment,adjustable parameters of applications of the user's devices 105A and105B can be known to the CNR 130 so that any new application can becompared with existing applications to determine if there arecorresponding parameters in common for which profile updates can occur.This comparison can be performed by the user device(s) and/or by the CNR130.

System 100 provides an integrated CNR-Smart Device-Smart DeviceApplication Service which can be dynamically adjusted according to thechange of user status, user activity, user preference, user location,and so forth. In one embodiment, responsive to the status of a userchanging, the CNR 130 receives status change information, such as fromthe device 105A, from another device of the user that detects orotherwise determines that the status of the user has changed, and/orfrom a third party device that detects or otherwise determines that thestatus of the user has changed. The CNR 130 can automatically update theuser's profile according to the change of user status.

In one embodiment, the CNR 130 can determine the accuracy of the statuschange information. For instance, the source of the status changeinformation can be considered in determining the accuracy of the statuschange information. Data received from other devices (e.g., otherdevices of the user or other third party devices) can also be consideredin determining the accuracy of the status change information, such ascomparing data (e.g., associated with the status change information)that is received from different devices (e.g., other devices of the useror other third party devices) to determine a correlation with the statuschange information.

In one embodiment, the CNR 130 can instruct or otherwise request that anapplication server automatically push a service (e.g., email, music, andso forth) and/or push capabilities to one or more devices 105B of theuser, which can be various types of devices including mobile smartphones, laptop computers, desktop computers, set top boxes, residentialgateways, PDAs, smart appliances, security systems, medical devices, andother devices of the user that have communication capabilities. In thisexample, the user does not need to switch devices when the status ischanged.

System 100 enables a set of parameters, which are common between certainapplications of the user's devices, to be dynamically changed once acertain triggering event occurs, such as a location update on a phone orchanging equipment from one capable device to another more capabledevice. In one embodiment, the set of parameters can be stored by theCNR 130 in the user profile so that new devices and/or new applicationsof the user can be analyzed to determine if they include any of theparameters.

In one embodiment, the CNR 130 can push or otherwise deliver profileupdates (according to the status change information) to multiple profilelocations for the user where profiles are stored locally, such as at theuser's mobile smart phone and/or at the user's set top box. In oneembodiment, flags can be set in each application or local profile totrigger a parameter update to be pushed from the CNR 130 to relevantapplications or for relevant services of the user. For instance, if auser has changed equipment (the status change) that is capable ofdisplaying in a larger screen or utilizing a higher bandwidth, system100 enables changing the codec, display resolution, bandwidth, etc. andproviding richer content according to the communication of the statuschange information to the end user devices, as well as to networkelements that control services for the end user devices.

In one embodiment, all profiles for the user can be consistently updatedaccording to the status change information. In another embodiment, therecan be a user preferred ability to control, enable, and/or or disablechanges if desired. In another embodiment, security measures can beapplied to ensure privacy such as limiting the type of status changeinformation that is being distributed.

In one embodiment, the device 105A can communicate with the CNR 130 viaBluetooth or Wi-Fi communications. The communication and updates ofparameters can be seamlessly performed via numerous methods such as asmart watch, smart glasses or smart key to enable one or more of thedevices 105B of the user to be notified of the status change and haveupdated profiles in the CNR 130.

In one embodiment, one or more of the devices 105B can pull profileupdates from CNR 130, such as via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi communications.System 100 can enable both a push and pull distribution of status changeinformation and/or profile updates for the end user devices.

In one or more embodiments, responsive to the profile adjustment basedon the status change information and responsive to service adjustmentsmade by the network, smart devices that the user interacts with canbenefit from user preferences detected from the profile adjustment suchas TV settings in a hotel or a thermostat setting in the user's vacationresidence. In one or more embodiments, a user device can toggle betweenmultiple profile locations according to a detected status change whichmay be communicated directly with other user devices. For instance, thesmart devices can be set to behave differently after communicating withanother device of the user (e.g., via Near Field Communication (NFC))such as where a user enters his summer home with a mobile device 105Aand the other devices 105B at the summer home communicate with mobiledevice to adjust their profile from an away state to a home stateresulting in changes to the device parameters.

In one or more embodiments, the status for the user can include multipleparameters (e.g., location, marital status, and so forth). The Smartdevices can be set to behave differently once the location and/ormarital status are changed. In one or more embodiments, the user can setpreferences so that certain parameters of the user's devices and/or ofthe user's applications receive higher priority.

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative embodiment of another system 200 thatenables dynamic management of user profiles and status changeinformation. The system can include the CNR 130 that stores or otherwisehas access to user profiles 110. System 200 enables communication ofstatus change information from end user device(s), such as mobile smartphone device 205A, to the CNR 130 so that the profile 110 can beadjusted and the status change information (or a portion thereof) and/orthe profile adjustment can be delivered to other devices 205B of theuser. Various network elements (not shown) can be utilized to facilitatethe communications, including routers, switches, digital subscriber lineaccess multiplexers (DSLAMs), service area interfaces, fiber opticallinks, copper twisted pairs, and so forth. The communication of thestatus change information from the mobile device 205A to the CNR 130 canbe via a wireless link and/or a wired link. The particular accesstechnologies utilized for communicating the status change informationcan vary.

System 200 also depicts direct communication between the device 205A andone or more of the devices 205B, such as via NFC. In this embodiment,the communications can be redundant such as communicating the statuschange information of a change in marital status to the CNR 130 as wellas directly to the other user devices 205B. In other embodiments, theinformation and the path of communication can be selected, such as basedon user preferences. For example, the device 205A can provide statuschange information to the CNR 130 so that the user profile 110 isgenerally adjusted to indicate that the user is now married, while thedevice 205A communicates more detailed information directly to theuser's other devices 205B. By selectively communicating status changeinformation, system 200 can provide privacy safeguards, such as onlycommunicating sensitive status change information directly to the otheruser's devices 205B without providing the sensitive status changeinformation to the CNR 130.

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of another system 300 thatenables dynamic management of user profiles and status changeinformation. The system can include the CNR 130 that stores or otherwisehas access to user profiles 110. System 300 enables communication ofstatus change information (associated with a second user) to the CNR 130so that the profile 110 of the second user can be adjusted and thestatus change information (or a portion thereof) and/or the profileadjustment can be delivered to other devices 305B of the second user.Various network elements (not shown) can be utilized to facilitate thecommunications, including routers, switches, digital subscriber lineaccess multiplexers (DSLAMs), service area interfaces, fiber opticallinks, copper twisted pairs, and so forth. The communication of thestatus change information to the CNR 130 can be via a wireless linkand/or a wired link. The particular access technologies utilized forcommunicating the status change information can vary.

In this embodiment, the detection of the status change information(e.g., a location change of the second user) can be performed by acommunication device (e.g., set top box 301) of a different user (e.g.,the first user). For example, the second user can enter the residence ofthe first user and sit down to watch a movie that is being presented bythe set top box 301. The set top box can detect the presence of thedevice 305A of the second user (e.g., based on NFC or other detectiontechniques). Based on the detection, the device 305A can infer that thesecond user is watching the movie being presented. Other data gatheredby the set top box 305A can further establish the inference of the settop box, such as an amount of time the device 305A has been in proximityto the set top box, a lack of activity or movement of the device 305Athat coincides with the presentation of the movie, and so forth. The settop box 301 can transmit the status change information (e.g., watchingthe movie at the first user's residence) to the CNR 130 so that the CNR130 can adjust the profile 110 and push the profile adjustment or statuschange information to other devices 305B of the second user. As anexample, the status change information can be pushed to an airconditioning system of the second user to adjust the temperature of thesecond user's residence since the second user will be at the firstuser's residence watching the movie. As another example, playlists ofdevices 305B can be adjusted according to the status change informationto note that the second user has watched the particular movie.

In one embodiment, the set top box 301 (or another communication deviceof the first user such as a mobile smart phone or a home securitysystem) can detect a second communication device of the second user inproximity to the set top box. The set top box 301 can determine statuschange information based on the detecting of the second communicationdevice and based on a type of communication service being provided bythe set top box at a time of the detecting of the second communicationdevice. The set top box 301 can provide the status change informationover a network to a server (e.g., CNR 130), where the status changeinformation is associated with the second user (such as participating ina video conference call), where the set top box is not associated withthe second user (e.g., the first and second users are friends that havetheir own devices). In this example, the providing of the status changeinformation to the server causes the server to adjust a user profile ofthe second user according to the status information and causes theserver to provide the status change information to a group of secondcommunication devices 305B of the second user to enable adjustingoperational parameters according to the status change information. Theparticular operational parameters being adjusted can vary includingdisplay parameters, access technologies selected, communication servicesrendered, and so forth. The adjusting of the user profile of the seconduser and the providing of the status change information to the group ofsecond communication devices can be performed without user interventionby the second user. The adjusting of the user profile 110 according tothe status change information can be performed in conjunction withadjustment of service(s) offered to the second user, such as providing amodified video-on-demand service to the second user at a set top box305B of the second user according to a reduced purchase rate due to thepurchase of the movie at the residence of the first user.

In one embodiment, the providing of the status change information to theserver by the set top box 301 causes the server to adjust a user profileof the first user according to the status information and causes theserver to provide the status change information to a group of firstcommunication devices of the first user. For instance, the status changeinformation not only indicates that the second user will be watching themovie but also can be indicative of the first user also watching themovie. This status change information for the first user can be pushedto devices of the first user, similar to the way the information ispushed to the devices of the second user.

In one embodiment, the adjusting of the user profile includes adjustinga group of sub-profiles that are each associated with a differentpersona of the particular user, wherein the adjusting can be differentfor each of sub-profile.

In one embodiment, an accuracy determination for the status changeinformation submitted by the third party device can be made by the CNR130. For example, the CNR 130 can receive or otherwise obtainverification information such as from the second communication device305A, where the verification information is received without userintervention by the second user. The CNR 130 can analyze theverification information to determine an accuracy of the status changeinformation associated with the second user that was determined by thefirst communication device, where the adjusting of the user profile ofthe second user and the providing of the status change information tothe group of second communication devices 305B can be performedresponsive to a determination by the CNR 130 that the status changeinformation associated with the second user is accurate. As an example,the CNR 130 can obtain information indicating that the secondcommunication device 305A had minimal movement and/or minimal deviceactivity coinciding with the presentation of the movie by the set topbox 301. This verification information can be used by the CNR 130 todetermine that the status change information inferring that the seconduser was watching the movie is accurate.

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method 400 that can beused by a system or processor for dynamically managing user profiles anddistributing status change information to end user devices. Method 400can begin at 402 where a system (e.g., a network server) receives statuschange information. In one embodiment, the status change information canbe received from a first communication device of a first user over anetwork, where the status change information is associated with a secondcommunication device of a second user. In this example, the firstcommunication device may not be associated with the second user. Forinstance, the first communication device can be a set top box of thefirst user and the second communication device can be a mobile phone ofthe second user where the second user is visiting the residence of thefirst user.

The status change information can be various types of informationincluding location information, user preference information, userfinancial information, user availability information, device usageinformation, device capability information and so forth. In oneembodiment, the status change information can be determined by the firstcommunication device. For example, the status change information can bedetermined by the first communication device based on detecting thesecond communication device in proximity to the first communicationdevice. In one embodiment, the determination of the status changeinformation can be based on a type of communication service beingprovided by the first communication device at a time of the detecting ofthe second communication device. For instance, the first communicationdevice can include a set top box, and the second communication devicecan include a mobile communication device. Through use of peer-to-peercommunications, NFC or other detection techniques, the set top box ofthe first user can determine that the mobile communication device of thesecond user is in the vicinity of the set top box and can furtherdetermine that the set top box is currently presenting video content. Aninference can be made that the second user of the mobile communicationdevice is viewing the video content being presented. This inference canbe automatically determined without user intervention by either thefirst user or the second user. In this example, the viewing of the videocontent is status change information determined by the set top box.Various factors can be used in this example for determining theinference that the second user of the mobile communication device isviewing the video content being presented, such as the length of timethat the mobile communication device has been in proximity to the settop box, a comparison of the presentation time (e.g., start time and endtime) of the video content with the time that the mobile communicationdevice has been in proximity to the set top box, a comparison of timeslots for commercials in the video content with time periods when themobile communication device is outside of the proximity of the set topbox, and so forth.

At 404, a determination of the accuracy of the status change informationcan be made by the system. For example, the system can receiveverification information from the second communication device, which mayor may not be received without user intervention by the second user. Thesystem can analyze the verification information to determine an accuracyof the status change information associated with the second user thatwas determined by the first communication device. Continuing with thisexample, device activity data can be provided in the verificationinformation to show that the second communication device was in an idlemode at the time of the determination of the status change informationby the first communication device. Data indicating that the secondcommunication device (e.g., a mobile communication device) was not beingutilized provides evidence of the accuracy of the inference of thesecond user watching the video content, as opposed to data indicatingthat the second communication device was presenting its own videocontent at the same time which would indicate that the second user wasnot watching the video content being presented by the firstcommunication device.

Other data can also be included in the verification information, such asdevice movement data indicating that the second communication device wasnot being moved at the time of the determination of the status changeinformation by the first communication device. The verificationinformation can also include data collected or obtained over a period oftime to further facilitate determining the accuracy of the status changeinformation. For example, data indicating that the second communicationdevice remained in an idle mode and moved a very small distance (e.g.,less than a foot) except when the second communication device movedabout fifteen feet during a television commercial during a two hourmovie presented by the first communication device, can be used todetermine that an inference of the second user watching the two hourmovie is accurate.

At 406, the system can adjust a user profile of the second userresponsive to the status change information. As an example, the userprofile can be stored in a memory accessible to the system, such as acentral network repository. In one embodiment, the user profile can be agroup of sub-profiles that are each associated with a different personaof the second user. For instance, the personas which have their own userprofiles can include a work persona, a home persona, a vacation persona,a business travel persona, and so forth. In one embodiment, theadjusting of the sub-profiles of a user according to the status changeinformation can be different for different sub-profiles of the user. Asan example, status change information representing the user being onvacation can be received by the system. The system can then adjust ahome persona to account for the user being on vacation, such asadjusting a temperature setting for a home and changing an emergencycontact information to a neighbor. The system can also adjust a workpersona to account for the user being on the vacation, such as changingan automatic email response to indicate a co-worker to be contacted. Inthis example, the same status change information can result in differentchanges to different sub-profiles.

At 408 the system can provide the status change information or a portionthereof to a group of second communication devices of the second user tocause the group of second communication devices to adjust operationalparameters according to the status change information. As an examplewhere the status change information is the second user watching a moviebeing presented by the first communication device, a call forwardingfunction of a landline phone of the second user can be temporarilydisabled to accommodate the second user not being disturbed during thewatching of the movie. In one or more embodiments, the adjusting of theuser profile of the second user and/or the providing of the statuschange information to the group of second communication devices can beperformed without user intervention by the second user. In one or moreembodiments, the adjusting of the user profile of the second user and/orthe providing of the status change information to the group of secondcommunication devices can be performed responsive to a determination at404 by the system that the status change information associated with thesecond user is accurate.

In one embodiment, the different persona of the second user canassociated with different sets of end user devices of the second user,where the sets are mutually exclusive or include devices in both sets.In one embodiment, the adjusting of the operational parameters of one ormore of the group of second communication devices enables access to acommunication service that was unavailable at the group of secondcommunication devices prior to the adjusting of the user profile of thesecond user.

In one embodiment, one or more third communication devices of the seconduser can receive the status change information according to a pulldistribution method. For example, the system can receive a status updaterequest from a third communication device of the second user, and canprovide the status change information or a portion thereof to the thirdcommunication device to cause the third communication device to adjustoperational parameters according to the status change information. Inthis example, the receiving of the status update request and theproviding of the status change information can be performed without userintervention by the second user.

In one embodiment, the status change information can be utilized foradjusting a user profile of the first user. For example, the firstcommunication device can determine that the second user is watchingvideo content being presented by the first communication device of thefirst user. The user profile of the first user can be updated accordingto this status change information, such as based on an inference thatthe first and second users are together watching the video content.Other information can also be used to verify this inference, such asdetermining from a mobile device of the first user that the first userappears to be in the same location as the mobile device of the seconduser (which in this example is in proximity to the set top boxpresenting the video content). In this example, a plurality of statuschange information can be determined for different users and thenanalyzed by the system to detect (or otherwise determine an accuracy of)an activity relationship between the different users. Continuing withthis example, the status change information for the first user can bedistributed to first communication devices of the first user so thatoperational parameters of the group of first devices are adjustedaccording to the status change information, such as temporarilydisabling features on those first communication devices that woulddisturb the first user during the presentation of the video content. Inthis example, the adjusting of the user profile of the first user andthe providing of the status change information to the group of firstcommunication devices can be performed without user intervention by thefirst or second user.

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication system 500for delivering media content and providing communication services tousers. The communication system 500 can represent an Internet ProtocolTelevision (IPTV) media system. Communication system 500 can be overlaidor operably coupled with systems 100-300 of FIGS. 1-3 as otherrepresentative embodiments of communication system 500. For instance,one or more devices illustrated in the communication system 500 of FIG.5 can enable dynamically managing user profiles and status changeinformation, such as by providing a dynamic CNR profile system thatallows the CNR to automatically follow a current status of a userwithout user intervention. The CNR can store the user profile(s) andprovide for interaction with the CNR for adjusting with the changingstatus of the user. The CNR can push the appropriate profile and/orparameters to enable the applications and/or devices of the user toaccommodate the change of status, preference, and/or location of theuser.

The IPTV media system can include a super head-end office (SHO) 510 withat least one super headend office server (SHS) 511 which receives mediacontent from satellite and/or terrestrial communication systems. In thepresent context, media content can represent, for example, audiocontent, moving image content such as 2D or 3D videos, video games,virtual reality content, still image content, and combinations thereof.The SHS server 511 can forward packets associated with the media contentto one or more video head-end servers (VHS) 514 via a network of videohead-end offices (VHO) 512 according to a multicast communicationprotocol.

The VHS 514 can distribute multimedia broadcast content via an accessnetwork 518 to commercial and/or residential buildings 502 housing agateway 504 (such as a residential or commercial gateway). The accessnetwork 518 can represent a group of digital subscriber line accessmultiplexers (DSLAMs) located in a central office or a service areainterface that provide broadband services over fiber optical links orcopper twisted pairs 519 to buildings 502. The gateway 504 can usecommunication technology to distribute broadcast signals to mediaprocessors 506 such as Set-Top Boxes (STBs) which in turn presentbroadcast channels to media devices 508 such as computers or televisionsets managed in some instances by a media controller 507 (such as aninfrared or RF remote controller).

The gateway 504, the media processors 506, and media devices 508 canutilize tethered communication technologies (such as coaxial, powerlineor phone line wiring) or can operate over a wireless access protocolsuch as Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), Bluetooth®, ZigBee®, or other presentor next generation local or personal area wireless network technologies.By way of these interfaces, unicast communications can also be invokedbetween the media processors 506 and subsystems of the IPTV media systemfor services such as video-on-demand (VoD), browsing an electronicprogramming guide (EPG), or other infrastructure services.

A satellite broadcast television system 529 can be used in the mediasystem of FIG. 5. The satellite broadcast television system can beoverlaid, operably coupled with, or replace the IPTV system as anotherrepresentative embodiment of communication system 500. In thisembodiment, signals transmitted by a satellite 515 that include mediacontent can be received by a satellite dish receiver 531 coupled to thebuilding 502. Modulated signals received by the satellite dish receiver531 can be transferred to the media processors 506 for demodulating,decoding, encoding, and/or distributing broadcast channels to the mediadevices 508. The media processors 506 can be equipped with a broadbandport to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) network 532 to enableinteractive services such as VoD and EPG as described above.

In yet another embodiment, an analog or digital cable broadcastdistribution system such as cable TV system 533 can be overlaid,operably coupled with, or replace the IPTV system and/or the satelliteTV system as another representative embodiment of communication system500. In this embodiment, the cable TV system 533 can also provideInternet, telephony, and interactive media services.

The subject disclosure can apply to other present or next generationover-the-air and/or landline media content services system.

Some of the network elements of the IPTV media system can be coupled toone or more computing devices 530, a portion of which can operate as aweb server for providing web portal services over the ISP network 532 towireline media devices 508 or wireless communication devices 516.

Communication system 500 can also provide for all or a portion of thecomputing devices 530 to function as the CNR 130. The server 530 can usecomputing and communication technology to perform function 562, whichcan include among other things, receiving status change information froma first communication device of a first user over a network where thestatus change information is determined by the first communicationdevice where the status change information is associated with a seconduser and where the first communication device not being associated withthe second user; adjusting a user profile of the second user responsiveto the status change information where the user profile being stored ina memory accessible to the system; and providing the status changeinformation to a group of second communication devices of the seconduser to cause the group of second communication devices to adjustoperational parameters according to the status change information, wherethe adjusting of the user profile of the second user and the providingof the status change information to the group of second communicationdevices is performed without user intervention by the second user.

For instance, function 562 of server 530 can be similar to the functionsdescribed for CNR 130 of systems 100-300, as well as the steps describedin method 400. The media processors 506 and wireless communicationdevices 516 can be provisioned with software functions 564 and 566,respectively, to utilize the services of server 530. For instance,functions 564 and 566 of media processors 506 and wireless communicationdevices 516 can be similar to the functions described for thecommunication devices 105, 205, 301 and 305 of systems 100-300. Forexample, functions 564 can include detecting a second communicationdevice of a second user in proximity to the first communication device;determining status change information based on the detecting of thesecond communication device and based on a type of communication servicebeing provided by the first communication device at a time of thedetecting of the second communication device; and providing the statuschange information over a network to a server where the status changeinformation is associated with the second user where the firstcommunication device is not associated with the second user where theproviding of the status change information to the server causes theserver to adjust a user profile of the second user according to thestatus information and causes the server to provide the status changeinformation to a group of second communication devices of the seconduser to enable adjusting operational parameters according to the statuschange information, and where the adjusting of the user profile of thesecond user and the providing of the status change information to thegroup of second communication devices is performed without userintervention by the second user.

As another example, functions 566 can include providing communicationsignals that enable a first communication device to detect the secondcommunication device in proximity to the first communication devicewhere a detection of the second communication device in proximity to thefirst communication device causes the first communication device todetermine status change information for a second user of the secondcommunication device and where a determination of the status changeinformation causes the first communication device to provide the statuschange information to a server for adjusting a user profile of thesecond user according to the status information and for providing thestatus change information to a group of second communication devices ofthe second user to enable adjusting operational parameters according tothe status change information; and providing verification information tothe server without user intervention by the second user where theproviding of the verification information causes the server to determinean accuracy of the status change information associated with the seconduser that was determined by the first communication device, where theadjusting of the user profile of the second user and the providing ofthe status change information to the group of second communicationdevices is performed responsive to a determination by the server thatthe status change information associated with the second user isaccurate.

Multiple forms of media services can be offered to media devices overlandline technologies such as those described above. Additionally, mediaservices can be offered to media devices by way of a wireless accessbase station 517 operating according to common wireless access protocolssuch as Global System for Mobile or GSM, Code Division Multiple Accessor CDMA, Time Division Multiple Access or TDMA, Universal MobileTelecommunications or UMTS, World interoperability for Microwave orWiMAX, Software Defined Radio or SDR, Long Term Evolution or LTE, and soon. Other present and next generation wide area wireless access networktechnologies can be used in one or more embodiments of the subjectdisclosure.

In one or more embodiments, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) networkarchitecture can be employed to facilitate the combined services ofcircuit-switched and packet-switched systems.

FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication device 600.Communication device 600 can serve in whole or in part as anillustrative embodiment of the devices depicted in systems 100-300 and500 and can be configured to perform all or portions of method 400.Communication device 600 can detect a second communication device of asecond user in proximity to the first communication device; determinestatus change information based on the detecting of the secondcommunication device and based on a type of communication service beingprovided by the first communication device at a time of the detecting ofthe second communication device; and provide the status changeinformation over a network to a server, where the status changeinformation is associated with the second user, the first communicationdevice not being associated with the second user, where the providing ofthe status change information to the server causes the server to adjusta user profile of the second user according to the status informationand causes the server to provide the status change information to agroup of second communication devices of the second user to enableadjusting operational parameters according to the status changeinformation, and where the adjusting of the user profile of the seconduser and the providing of the status change information to the group ofsecond communication devices is performed without user intervention bythe second user.

Communication device 600 can comprise a wireline and/or wirelesstransceiver 602 (herein transceiver 602), a user interface (UI) 604, apower supply 614, a location receiver 616, a motion sensor 618, anorientation sensor 620, and a controller 606 for managing operationsthereof. The transceiver 602 can support short-range or long-rangewireless access technologies such as Bluetooth®, ZigBee®, WiFi, DECT, orcellular communication technologies, just to mention a few (Bluetooth®and ZigBee® are trademarks registered by the Bluetooth® Special InterestGroup and the ZigBee® Alliance, respectively). Cellular technologies caninclude, for example, CDMA-1X, UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE, EV/DO,WiMAX, SDR, LTE, as well as other next generation wireless communicationtechnologies as they arise. The transceiver 602 can also be adapted tosupport circuit-switched wireline access technologies (such as PSTN),packet-switched wireline access technologies (such as TCP/IP, VoIP,etc.), and combinations thereof.

The UI 604 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 608 witha navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, a joystick, a mouse, or anavigation disk for manipulating operations of the communication device600. The keypad 608 can be an integral part of a housing assembly of thecommunication device 600 or an independent device operably coupledthereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a USB cable) or awireless interface supporting for example Bluetooth®. The keypad 608 canrepresent a numeric keypad commonly used by phones, and/or a QWERTYkeypad with alphanumeric keys. The UI 604 can further include a display610 such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), OLED(Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technology forconveying images to an end user of the communication device 600. In anembodiment where the display 610 is touch-sensitive, a portion or all ofthe keypad 608 can be presented by way of the display 610 withnavigation features.

The display 610 can use touch screen technology to also serve as a userinterface for detecting user input. As a touch screen display, thecommunication device 600 can be adapted to present a user interface withgraphical user interface (GUI) elements that can be selected by a userwith a touch of a finger. The touch screen display 610 can be equippedwith capacitive, resistive or other forms of sensing technology todetect how much surface area of a user's finger has been placed on aportion of the touch screen display. This sensing information can beused to control the manipulation of the GUI elements or other functionsof the user interface. The display 610 can be an integral part of thehousing assembly of the communication device 600 or an independentdevice communicatively coupled thereto by a tethered wireline interface(such as a cable) or a wireless interface.

The UI 604 can also include an audio system 612 that utilizes audiotechnology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heard inproximity of a human ear) and high volume audio (such as speakerphonefor hands free operation). The audio system 612 can further include amicrophone for receiving audible signals of an end user. The audiosystem 612 can also be used for voice recognition applications. The UI604 can further include an image sensor 613 such as a charged coupleddevice (CCD) camera for capturing still or moving images.

The power supply 614 can utilize common power management technologiessuch as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulationtechnologies, and/or charging system technologies for supplying energyto the components of the communication device 600 to facilitatelong-range or short-range portable applications. Alternatively, or incombination, the charging system can utilize external power sources suchas DC power supplied over a physical interface such as a USB port orother suitable tethering technologies.

The location receiver 616 can utilize location technology such as aglobal positioning system (GPS) receiver capable of assisted GPS foridentifying a location of the communication device 600 based on signalsgenerated by a constellation of GPS satellites, which can be used forfacilitating location services such as navigation. The motion sensor 618can utilize motion sensing technology such as an accelerometer, agyroscope, or other suitable motion sensing technology to detect motionof the communication device 600 in three-dimensional space. Theorientation sensor 620 can utilize orientation sensing technology suchas a magnetometer to detect the orientation of the communication device600 (north, south, west, and east, as well as combined orientations indegrees, minutes, or other suitable orientation metrics).

The communication device 600 can use the transceiver 602 to alsodetermine a proximity to a cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth®, or other wirelessaccess points by sensing techniques such as utilizing a received signalstrength indicator (RSSI) and/or signal time of arrival (TOA) or time offlight (TOF) measurements. The controller 606 can utilize computingtechnologies such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP),programmable gate arrays, application specific integrated circuits,and/or a video processor with associated storage memory such as Flash,ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAM or other storage technologies for executingcomputer instructions, controlling, and processing data supplied by theaforementioned components of the communication device 600.

Other components not shown in FIG. 6 can be used in one or moreembodiments of the subject disclosure. For instance, the communicationdevice 600 can include a reset button (not shown). The reset button canbe used to reset the controller 606 of the communication device 600. Inyet another embodiment, the communication device 600 can also include afactory default setting button positioned, for example, below a smallhole in a housing assembly of the communication device 600 to force thecommunication device 600 to re-establish factory settings. In thisembodiment, a user can use a protruding object such as a pen or paperclip tip to reach into the hole and depress the default setting button.The communication device 600 can also include a slot for adding orremoving an identity module such as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)card. SIM cards can be used for identifying subscriber services,executing programs, storing subscriber data, and so forth.

The communication device 600 as described herein can operate with moreor less of the circuit components shown in FIG. 6. These variantembodiments can be used in one or more embodiments of the subjectdisclosure.

The communication device 600 can be adapted to perform the functions ofdevices 105, 130, 205, 301, 305, the media processor 506, the mediadevices 508, or the portable communication devices 516 of FIG. 5. Itwill be appreciated that the communication device 600 can also representother devices that can operate in system 100-300 and 500 such as agaming console and a media player. The controller 606 can be adapted invarious embodiments to perform the functions 562-566, respectively.

Upon reviewing the aforementioned embodiments, it would be evident to anartisan with ordinary skill in the art that said embodiments can bemodified, reduced, or enhanced without departing from the scope of theclaims described below. For example, filtering can be applied to thedistribution of the status change information and/or the profileupdates. For instance, certain user devices that are shared with otherusers (e.g., shared with family members) can receive less detail of thestatus change information and/or the profile updates. In one embodiment,the pushing of services can be limited to certain devices of the user,such as based on user preferences, cost associated with accessing theservice from the particular device, and so forth.

In one embodiment, the accuracy determination can be based on aweighting system, such as verification information of a first type orfrom a first source having a higher weight that a second type of from asecond source. In one embodiment, a history of accuracy can be utilizedin determining the accuracy of the status change information. Forinstance, the CNR 130 can monitor status change determination by adevice and feedback with respect to those determinations (e.g., feedbackreceived from the second user). Other embodiments can be used in thesubject disclosure.

It should be understood that devices described in the exemplaryembodiments can be in communication with each other via various wirelessand/or wired methodologies. The methodologies can be links that aredescribed as coupled, connected and so forth, which can includeunidirectional and/or bidirectional communication over wireless pathsand/or wired paths that utilize one or more of various protocols ormethodologies, where the coupling and/or connection can be direct (e.g.,no intervening processing device) and/or indirect (e.g., an intermediaryprocessing device such as a router).

FIG. 7 depicts an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a machine inthe form of a computer system 700 within which a set of instructions,when executed, may cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethods described above. One or more instances of the machine canoperate, for example, as the CNR 130, the end user devices 105, 205,301, 305, the media processor 406 and other devices of system 100-300and 500 for dynamically managing user profiles and status changeinformation to provide a dynamic CNR profile system that enables the CNRto automatically follow a current status of a user without userintervention

In some embodiments, the machine may be connected (e.g., using a network726) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine mayoperate in the capacity of a server or a client user machine in aserver-client user network environment, or as a peer machine in apeer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment.

The machine may comprise a server computer, a client user computer, apersonal computer (PC), a tablet, a smart phone, a laptop computer, adesktop computer, a control system, a network router, switch or bridge,or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. It will beunderstood that a communication device of the subject disclosureincludes broadly any electronic device that provides voice, video ordata communication. Further, while a single machine is illustrated, theterm “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machinesthat individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) ofinstructions to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein.

The computer system 700 may include a processor (or controller) 702(e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)), a graphics processing unit(GPU, or both), a main memory 704 and a static memory 706, whichcommunicate with each other via a bus 708. The computer system 700 mayfurther include a display unit 710 (e.g., a liquid crystal display(LCD), a flat panel, or a solid state display). The computer system 700may include an input device 712 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor controldevice 714 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 716, a signal generationdevice 718 (e.g., a speaker or remote control) and a network interfacedevice 720. In distributed environments, the embodiments described inthe subject disclosure can be adapted to utilize multiple display units710 controlled by two or more computer systems 700. In thisconfiguration, presentations described by the subject disclosure may inpart be shown in a first of the display units 710, while the remainingportion is presented in a second of the display units 710.

The disk drive unit 716 may include a tangible computer-readable storagemedium 722 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g.,software 724) embodying any one or more of the methods or functionsdescribed herein, including those methods illustrated above. Theinstructions 724 may also reside, completely or at least partially,within the main memory 704, the static memory 706, and/or within theprocessor 702 during execution thereof by the computer system 700. Themain memory 704 and the processor 702 also may constitute tangiblecomputer-readable storage media.

Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to,application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement themethods described herein. Application specific integrated circuits andprogrammable logic array can use downloadable instructions for executingstate machines and/or circuit configurations to implement embodiments ofthe subject disclosure. Applications that may include the apparatus andsystems of various embodiments broadly include a variety of electronicand computer systems. Some embodiments implement functions in two ormore specific interconnected hardware modules or devices with relatedcontrol and data signals communicated between and through the modules,or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit. Thus, theexample system is applicable to software, firmware, and hardwareimplementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the subject disclosure, theoperations or methods described herein are intended for operation assoftware programs or instructions running on or executed by a computerprocessor or other computing device, and which may include other formsof instructions manifested as a state machine implemented with logiccomponents in an application specific integrated circuit or fieldprogrammable gate array. Furthermore, software implementations (e.g.,software programs, instructions, etc.) including, but not limited to,distributed processing or component/object distributed processing,parallel processing, or virtual machine processing can also beconstructed to implement the methods described herein. It is furthernoted that a computing device such as a processor, a controller, a statemachine or other suitable device for executing instructions to performoperations or methods may perform such operations directly or indirectlyby way of one or more intermediate devices directed by the computingdevice.

While the tangible computer-readable storage medium 722 is shown in anexample embodiment to be a single medium, the term “tangiblecomputer-readable storage medium” should be taken to include a singlemedium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database,and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets ofinstructions. The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shallalso be taken to include any non-transitory medium that is capable ofstoring or encoding a set of instructions for execution by the machineand that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods ofthe subject disclosure. The term “non-transitory” as in a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage includes without limitation memories, drives,devices and anything tangible but not a signal per se.

The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shall accordinglybe taken to include, but not be limited to: solid-state memories such asa memory card or other package that houses one or more read-only(non-volatile) memories, random access memories, or other re-writable(volatile) memories, a magneto-optical or optical medium such as a diskor tape, or other tangible media which can be used to store information.Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include any one or more ofa tangible computer-readable storage medium, as listed herein andincluding art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which thesoftware implementations herein are stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsimplemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standardsand protocols, the disclosure is not limited to such standards andprotocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packet switchednetwork transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, and HTTP) representexamples of the state of the art. Such standards are from time-to-timesuperseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentiallythe same functions. Wireless standards for device detection (e.g.,RFID), short-range communications (e.g., Bluetooth®, WiFi, ZigBee®), andlong-range communications (e.g., WiMAX, GSM, CDMA, LTE) can be used bycomputer system 700.

The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments,and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all theelements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use ofthe structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparentto those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Theexemplary embodiments can include combinations of features and/or stepsfrom multiple embodiments. Other embodiments may be utilized and derivedtherefrom, such that structural and logical substitutions and changesmay be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Figuresare also merely representational and may not be drawn to scale. Certainproportions thereof may be exaggerated, while others may be minimizedAccordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement calculated toachieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodimentsshown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations orvariations of various embodiments. Combinations of the aboveembodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein,can be used in the subject disclosure. In one or more embodiments,features that are positively recited can also be excluded from theembodiment with or without replacement by another component or step. Thesteps or functions described with respect to the exemplary processes ormethods can be performed in any order. The steps or functions describedwith respect to the exemplary processes or methods can be performedalone or in combination with other steps or functions (from otherembodiments or from other steps that have not been described).

Less than all of the steps or functions described with respect to theexemplary processes or methods can also be performed in one or more ofthe exemplary embodiments. Further, the use of numerical terms todescribe a device, component, step or function, such as first, second,third, and so forth, is not intended to describe an order or functionunless expressly stated so. The use of the terms first, second, thirdand so forth, is generally to distinguish between devices, components,steps or functions unless expressly stated otherwise. Additionally, oneor more devices or components described with respect to the exemplaryembodiments can facilitate one or more functions, where the facilitating(e.g., facilitating access or facilitating establishing a connection)can include less than every step needed to perform the function or caninclude all of the steps needed to perform the function.

In one or more embodiments, a processor (which can include a controlleror circuit) has been described that performs various functions. Itshould be understood that the processor can be multiple processors,which can include distributed processors or parallel processors in asingle machine or multiple machines. The processor can be used insupporting a virtual processing environment. The virtual processingenvironment may support one or more virtual machines representingcomputers, servers, or other computing devices. In such virtualmachines, components such as microprocessors and storage devices may bevirtualized or logically represented. The processor can include a statemachine, application specific integrated circuit, and/or programmablegate array including a Field PGA. In one or more embodiments, when aprocessor executes instructions to perform “operations”, this caninclude the processor performing the operations directly and/orfacilitating, directing, or cooperating with another device or componentto perform the operations.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided with the understanding thatit will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of theclaims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can beseen that various features are grouped together in a single embodimentfor the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method ofdisclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that theclaimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited ineach claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subjectmatter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment.Thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the DetailedDescription, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimedsubject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: receiving, by a processingsystem including a processor, status change information from a firstcommunication device of a first user over a network, wherein the firstcommunication device determines the status change information based on atype of communication service being provided to the first communicationdevice; adjusting, by the processing system, a user profile of the firstuser responsive to the status change information, the user profile beingstored in a memory accessible to the processing system, wherein theadjusting of the user profile of the first user is performed withoutuser intervention; and sending, by the processing system, configurationinformation according to the user profile to a second communicationdevice of the first user, wherein the second communication deviceadjusts an operation of the second communication device based on theconfiguration information.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the statuschange information is determined by the first communication device basedon detecting the second communication device being in proximity to thefirst communication device.
 3. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: receiving, by the processing system, verificationinformation from the second communication device, the verificationinformation being received without user intervention by the first user;and analyzing, by the processing system, the verification information todetermine an accuracy of the status change information associated withthe first user that was determined by the first communication device,wherein the adjusting of the user profile of the first user is performedresponsive to a determination by the processing system that the statuschange information associated with the first user is accurate.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, by the processingsystem, a request for a status update from a third communication deviceof the first user; and providing, by the processing system, the statuschange information to the third communication device to cause the thirdcommunication device to adjust operational parameters according to thestatus change information, wherein the receiving of the request forstatus update and the providing of the status change information isperformed without user intervention by the first user.
 5. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the adjusting of the user profile of the first usercomprises adjusting a group of user profiles that are each associatedwith a different persona of the first user.
 6. The method of claim 5,wherein the different persona of the first user are associated withdifferent sets of end user devices of the first user, and wherein theadjusting of the group of user profiles according to the status changeinformation is different for each of the group of user profiles.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the first communication device comprises aset top box, and wherein the second communication device comprises amobile communication device.
 8. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising providing the status change information to a group ofadditional communication devices of the first user to cause the group ofadditional communication devices to adjust operational parametersaccording to the status change information, wherein the providing of thestatus change information to the group of additional communicationdevices is performed without user intervention by the first user.
 9. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the adjusting of the user profile of thefirst user and the providing of the status change information to thegroup of additional communication devices is performed without userintervention by the first user.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein theadjusting of the operational parameters enables access to an unavailablecommunication service that was unavailable at the group of additionalcommunication devices prior to the adjusting of the user profile of thefirst user, and wherein the providing of the status change informationto the group of additional communication devices is performed responsiveto a determination by the processing system that the status changeinformation associated with the first user is accurate.
 11. Acommunication device, comprising: a processing system including aprocessor; and a memory that stores executable instructions that, whenexecuted by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations,comprising: detecting another communication device in proximity to thecommunication device, the other communication device being associatedwith a second user different than a first user associated with thecommunication device; determining status change information associatedwith the second user based on the detecting of the other communicationdevice; and providing the status change information to a server, whereinthe providing of the status change information to the server causes anadjusting of a user profile of the second user by the server accordingto the status change information, and wherein the adjusting of the userprofile of the second user is performed without user intervention by thesecond user.
 12. The communication device of claim 11, wherein thedetermining the status change information is further based on a type ofcommunication service being utilized by the communication device at atime of the detecting of the other communication device, and wherein thedetecting of whether the other communication device is in proximity tothe communication device is according to wireless communications betweenthe communication device and the other communication device.
 13. Thecommunication device of claim 12, wherein the other communication devicecomprises a mobile communication device, and wherein the type ofcommunication service being utilized by the communication device at thetime of the detecting of the other communication device comprisespresenting video content.
 14. The communication device of claim 11,wherein the providing of the status change information to the servercauses the server to provide the status change information to a group ofadditional communication devices of the second user to enable adjustingoperational parameters according to the status change information, andwherein the providing of the status change information to the group ofadditional communication devices is performed without user interventionby the second user.
 15. The communication device of claim 11, whereinthe providing of the status change information to the server causes theserver to adjust a second user profile of a first user of thecommunication device according to the status change information andcauses the server to provide the status change information to a group ofcommunication devices of the first user.
 16. The communication device ofclaim 15, wherein the adjusting of the second user profile of the firstuser comprises adjusting a group of other user profiles that are eachassociated with a different persona of the first user, wherein theadjusting of the group of other user profiles according to the statuschange information is different for each of the group of other userprofiles.
 17. The communication device of claim 16, wherein thedifferent persona of the first user comprises a work persona and a homepersona, wherein the communication device comprises a set top box.
 18. Amachine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructionsthat, when executed by a processing system including a processor,facilitate performance of operations, comprising: instructing a firstcommunication device to detect the processing system being in proximityto the first communication device, wherein a detection of the processingsystem in proximity to the first communication device causes the firstcommunication device to make a first determination of status changeinformation for a second user of the processing system, and wherein thefirst determination of the status change information causes the firstcommunication device to provide the status change information to aserver for adjusting a user profile of the second user according to thestatus change information; and providing verification information to theserver without user intervention by the second user, wherein theproviding of the verification information causes the server make asecond determination of an accuracy of the status change informationassociated with the second user that was determined by the firstcommunication device, wherein the adjusting of the user profile of thesecond user is performed responsive to the second determination by theserver that the status change information associated with the seconduser is accurate; receiving the status change information of the seconduser from the server; and adjusting operational parameters of theprocessing system according to the status change information to enableaccess to a communication service that was unavailable at the processingsystem prior to the adjusting of the user profile of the second user.19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the firstdetermination of the status change information for the second user isbased on a type of communication service being utilized by the firstcommunication device at a time of the detecting of the processingsystem, and wherein providing the status change information to theserver enables adjusting operational parameters of a group of processingsystems according to the status change information.
 20. Themachine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the adjusting ofthe user profile of the second user further comprises adjusting a groupof user profiles that are each associated with a different persona ofthe second user, and wherein the adjusting of the group of user profilesaccording to the status change information is different for each of thegroup of user profiles.